Empty Words and Broken Promises
by Demonie0603
Summary: This is the first ATLA story I have ever written, I'm trying a first attempt at an OC! This is a story i've been thinking of for a while, and I finally decided to write it down. Comments are much appreciated whether they be negative or positive! I'm going to try and go for a comedy/romance/dramatic theme, and I hope you enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Empty Words and Broken Promises

_I will never forgive him_…I thought as I ran from the house. Even though I was a couple of yards away now, I could still hear the party music booming through the walls of the two-story house. I could hear a door creaking open far behind me, and then I heard a voice shouting at me to please come back. He was shouting stupid things like, please come back, I'm so sorry, it will never happen again.

_How could he do this to me? He promised he would never hurt me!_

His empty words meant nothing to me now, and I kept running towards the edge of the backyard, to the woods. I stopped short and looked behind me, to make sure he wasn't chasing me. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding when I realized I was alone. I lifted my right hand to my bottom lip, and felt the blood drying there. I cursed out loud.

_I trusted him._

I could feel my shoulders shaking, but I wouldn't let myself cry. I looked back one more time, and then I walked into the dark forest.

_I should have brought my jacket…_ I thought as I walked through the forest that chilly Halloween night. My stupid costume kept getting caught on branches as I walked on. I had dressed up as Alice this year, and Mark had dressed as the Mad Hatter. The dress I wore was knee-length, and light blue. It came with a cute white apron, and a black headband with a bow. I was thankful for it when the October breeze tried to get my auburn hair in my jade eyes.

I felt an ache in my chest when I thought of him, but it wasn't longing. It was a feeling of betrayal that can only be physically described as a hot poker jabbing at my heart. Suddenly I felt wetness on my left cheek, and I cursed again. Once you start crying, you can't really stop. I broke into a run, and tried to get as far away from him as humanly possible.

The tears kept flowing, and I kept running. I could feel the branches around me whip my arms and legs as I passed them, but I was to upset to care. I had run for a while now when a strange feeling came over me. I started to slow down, and my head felt funny. I slowed to a walk again, and continued through the dark forest. The trees became thicker as I moved on, and the farther I went the less I cried.

Suddenly I found myself at the edge of a large field, and I stopped crying altogether.


	2. Chapter 2

The meadow was covered in Bluebells, and I could see fireflies dancing all around. The air seemed different here, and seemed to crackle with an unseen energy. I stepped forward carefully, and looked all around. I was grateful for the full moon tonight as I observed my surroundings. To my amazement I realized the field was a perfect circle. The trees had grown so close together here that they seemed to form a natural wall.

I felt a slight breeze on my back, and took it as a hint to move forward. When I reached the center of the meadow I stopped. I slowly sank to the cool ground and sat for a moment. The Bluebells formed a natural cushion, so I decided to lie on my back for a while and stargaze.

_I could stay here forever… _I thought as I looked into the heavens. I had almost forgotten what had brought me here in the first place when I instinctively licked my lips. I felt the dull sting of a cut, and remembered what had happened.

_We were just talking! Jeez he knows Jack's just an old friend, why would he get so angry with me?_

I felt that familiar burning sensation in my eyes, and my hands curled into fists at my sides. I squeezed my eyes shut and willed the tears to retreat. I wouldn't let him make me weak. Even if it killed me, I would never be weak again.

The tears receded and I opened my eyes once more. I looked at the moon above me and made a wish.

_I wish I could live in a different world. _

Suddenly I felt the strangest sensation. The ground started to shift beneath me, and I started to sink. It was as if the earth were trying to swallow me. I opened my mouth to shout but no sound came out, and I frantically tried to grab hold of the grass and flowers around me. They slipped easily through my fingers, and I couldn't get a grip on anything. I could feel my legs being sucked down, and I tried again to yell for help but to no avail. I felt my body being dragged down to who-knows-where, and I was plunged into darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

I woke up with the worst headache. I could tell that much before I even opened my eyes. I wanted to make sure nothing was broken, so I shifted a bit in my seat. Thankfully there was no pain, except in my skull, but why was I sitting up-right? I tentatively opened my eyes and looked around me. It was pretty dark, but it looked like I was in a wooden box. I could see a set of double doors in the back, and there were three benches; one on each side of the box. The room was shaking steadily, so I assumed we were driving. I was thankful to see other people sitting with me, mostly girls around my age, but there were also two older guys, maybe in there thirties'?

I opened my mouth to speak but my throat was so dry only a cough came out. One of the girls looked up, and I gasped. The poor thing had a burn the size of a baseball on the side of her neck. It looked new, and she must have been in a lot of pain.

"Your face… what happened?" I managed to choke out a little broken sentence. The girls face was solemn when she replied.

"That's what happens when you try to stand up to the fire nation."

_The fire what?_

I was about to question her further when I felt the wooden box lurch forward. We must have stopped, so I tried to stand up. I was surprised to find my hands tied behind my back, and I got up carefully so I wouldn't trip. I could see everyone else had their hands tied as well as I walked towards the back door.

"It's locked." The burned girl said stupidly as I moved forward. I ignored her and put an ear to the wall. I couldn't hear much because the walls must be thick. I walked back towards my seat, and then made a run for the door. I used all the force I could muster and flung my body forward. My right arm throbbed in pain, and my headband fell to the floor.

_Damn it _

My head throbbed with fresh pain from the impact. I stumbled back to my seat and put my head between my knees. I looked up suddenly when I heard a sound. It sounded like someone was unlocking the doors.

_Ugh I can't even use my hands to scratch my nose let alone defend myself!_

The air was dry in here and my nose had begun to itch. I sniffled once, and my eyes started to water. I sucked in a breath and let out a sneeze. I felt my head fly back against the wall behind me, and the back doors flew open with great force. It seemed like a gust of air blew them open, but that was impossible, the doors opened outward. The gust would have had to come from inside…

_My sneeze? Seriously? No that's impossible…_

I heard a man shout something, but I wasn't really listening. I had to find a way to escape. I didn't know where I was being taken, but I didn't want to find out. Suddenly two men appeared at the open doorway.

"You get back in your seat!" Doofus #1 shouted at me. They were dressed in red armor, and had some nasty looking swords at their sides. I decided to give my sneeze theory a try, after all what did I have to lose? I sucked in a deep breath, and blew it out with all my force towards the men.

They both flew backwards and landed in the dirt about ten feet away. My eyes grew wide with shock.

_What the hell!? I don't even know how I did that…_

I decided not to dwell on it and ran to the exit. I jumped out, but I stayed in the air longer than normal. It was as if I were weightless for a moment. When my feet touched the ground I frantically looked at my surroundings. I thanked the gods when I realized we were right smack in the middle of what looked to be a market. There were people everywhere, staring at the situation before them.

"Please can somebody help us?" I shouted to the crowd. No one made a move to help, and some people even looked away. I couldn't believe it, what the hell is wrong with these people?! I looked back and saw Doofus #1 helping Doofus#2 off the ground. They looked seriously pissed off, and a little surprised? Furious?

_Scared. They're scared! Of me? But I didn't do anything…_

I tried desperately to untie my hands, but the knots were seriously tight. I was so frustrated. When I said I wanted to live in a different world I hadn't meant a totally crazy one! I suddenly felt a tingling sensation in my hands. They felt warm, and I could feel the ropes start to disintegrate. My hands were free and I brought them to my face.

_This is impossible… _

I tried to bring back the tingly feeling, and when I did, a flame burst from my hand. I yelped in surprise and thrust my hand forward. The flame left my hand and landed with a burst at Doofus #1's feet. He jumped back in surprise, and looked at me in absolute terror. Doofus #2 started shouting.

"Backup! Someone get over here NOW!"

More of those idiots started moving through the crowd, and started surrounding me. I moved my body into a defensive stance, and silently thanked my dad for those six karate classes.

_Too bad I quit before I learned anything useful…_

One of the guys on my right made a move towards me, and I turned to face him. He reached for my arm when something flew by and smacked him in the head. It clanged against his red helmet and fell to the ground. I looked down and saw it was a boomerang. I looked up and saw what looked to be its owning running towards me.

He was pretty tall and thin. His skin was really tan, and his hair was pulled back. He was with someone else too, but he looked completely different. The other guy was pale with raven colored hair, but his was down covering most of his face.

"Aw boomerang didn't come back this time!" The tanned guy said as he picked up his weapon. The other one rolled his eyes and walked towards me. When I got a closer look I notice a seriously bad looking scar on the pale ones eye. It didn't look like the other girls, maybe it was older?

"Are you ok?" His voice was low and raspy, but he didn't sound mean. I looked up at him and was about to answer when he shot his left arm out and pushed me aside. He thrust his other arm forward and his fist made contact with a guard I hadn't seen coming. Fire burst from his hand, and the guard was knocked backwards.

"Sokka, get her out of here. I can handle them." The tanned guy, who I assumed was "Sokka" nodded and quickly walked over to me, but I stepped back and put my hands out in front of me.

"Not without the others. I can't leave until they're safe too." I turned quickly and ran to the cart. I could hear Sokka running behind me when I reached the cart. I quickly stepped inside and told everyone to stand up. I ushered them out, and Sokka used the sharp end of his boomerang to slice through their ropes.

Once freed, the prisoners made a break for it through the crowd. The burned girl turned to look at me before she ran, and I could see her mouth a silent "Thank you"

"Alright everyone's out, let's get out of here." Sokka said to me. I nodded and he reached a hand up to help me down. I took it and stepped off the cart. I jumped when I heard more banging sounds. I looked behind Sokka and saw the pale guy standing around a bunch of unconscious guards. At least I hoped they were unconscious…

"Let's go Zuko; we're drawing to much attention. More soldiers are gonna show up any minute." Sokka reached behind his back and put his boomerang into a leather holder.

_Zuko and Sokka, what kind of names are those anyway?_

"Come on, let's go." Zuko said to me and gestured with his hands to follow them. I just nodded and ran after them. I mean, they had saved me, so I could trust them…right?


	4. Chapter 4

I followed the boys through the crowd, down the busy street, and finally into the woods at the edge of the marketplace. I mourned the loss of my headband as I tried in vain to keep hair out of my eyes. We kept running until we came to a narrow trail, and then finally stopped to catch our breath.

_Stupid Alice heels are killing me…_

I plopped myself down on a nearby rock and took some deep breaths. Sokka leaned against a nearby tree, and Zuko stayed standing. When my lungs remembered how breathing worked I decided to get some answers.

"So can either of you tell me where I am?" They both gave me funny looks, but they answered me anyway.

"You're in the Fire Nation, Ember Island to be exact." Sokka stopped leaning on the tree, and moved to stand next to Zuko, and in front of me.

"Ember Island…?" I asked quizzically. Zuko answered me this time.

"It's a resort island for wealthy Fire Nation families." I still had no idea what a "Fire Nation" even was, but I wasn't sure how to ask.

"What's the Fire Nation? I'm not from around here, so I have no idea what kind of place this is." Now they looked really confused. Sokka took a small step forward.

"Big nasty 100 year-long war ringing any bells? The word 'Avatar' mean anything to you?" He was making big gestures with his hands, as if what he were saying was common knowledge.

"What's an Avatar?" I asked innocently enough, but Zuko's eyes widened and Sokka smacked his own forehead with his hand. He ran it down his face dramatically, and there was a noticeable red spot now. I bit back laughter at the sight.

"Ok clearly I'm very far from home, so let's make things easier. Just tell me about this place like you were telling a history lesson to a kid." They looked at each other, and then back at me.

"The world is divided by the four elements, water, earth, fire, and air. One hundred years ago everything was pretty peaceful, until the fire nation attacked." Sokka's voice was solemn, and he wasn't really looking at me in the eye.

"They used a comet that only comes around every hundred years to destroy all the Air Nomads. The comet enhances their firebending, and makes them almost unstoppable."

I remembered what I had done back in the marketplace. I put my right hand out with my palm facing up. I tried to bring the tingly feeling back.

"Is this firebending?" I inquired as I felt the burning sensation run through my arm and out my hand with a burst of flame. It was so pretty, and it felt like a tiny heartbeat in my palm. I closed my fist and the flame died out. I looked at Sokka and Zuko, but they didn't look very happy. Well at least Sokka didn't.

"Great, she's a firebender. No offense Zuko!" Sokka added that last part after getting a nasty glare from his friend.

"Well I can move air too ya know. I'm not just a firebender…"

_Why are they looking at me like that…?_

They gave me the weirdest glares. I shit-you-not they looked like I had grown an extra head or something. I figured a demonstration was in order, so I pulled in a deep breath and exhaled as hard as I could. I didn't want to hurt them by accident so I aimed higher, at the tree tops.

A huge gust of wind came out and almost knocked me backwards again. The leaves rustled in the breeze, and our clothes and hair got all messed up. Sokka's bun faltered and his brown hair fell all around his face.

The looks on their faces were priceless. Sokka's jaw dropped to the floor, and Zuko looked like someone kicked him in the twins. I smoothed my hair, and patted down my skirt.

"See I told you I wasn't…" I tried to get the words out but Zuko interrupted me.

"How did you do that? I thought the Avatar was the only one able to control more than one element?" He turned to Sokka, who didn't seem to hear him. He was just staring at me like I was a new species he just discovered.

I put my hands up in defense.

"I don't know how I did it. All I know is that once I woke up in that cart I could do things like that. It's how I escaped, I blew open the cabin doors and burned my ropes."

I couldn't tell if Zuko was angry or happy about this. The guy seemed to have a permanent bitch-face for some reason. I was starting to get a bit freaked out.

"Will somebody please tell me what the hell an Avatar is?" I folded my arms in front of me, and waited for an answer.

Zuko sighed and answered in a low voice, "The Avatar is the one person that can control all four elements. Whenever the Avatar dies he or she is reborn again. Their job is to keep balance in the world."

"But you said there's been a war going on… for a hundred years! Seems like your Avatar is doing a pretty piss-poor job…" Sokka seemed to wake up from his reverie then, and looked sharply at me.

"Hey Aang's doing the best he can ok?" If I wasn't confused before, I definitely was now.

Zuko noticed my confused look and began to explain.

"When the avatar is reborn, it's always into a new element. One hundred years ago, the Fire Nation knew he or she would be born an Air Nomad…"

"So they tried to kill them all so he could never be born? So no one could stop them?" I guessed. They both nodded and I looked at the ground.

_How could they do something so horrible?! No wonder Sokka didn't like me at first, he must hate firebenders. But then again he's friends with Zuko…_

"All those people…" I could feel tears welling in my eyes, but I fought them back. I had to know more.

"The fire nation army never found the Avatar, and he went missing for the next hundred years, which allowed them to start the war. Last year Sokka and his sister Katara found the Avatar stuck in an iceberg. He's the Aang we were talking about, and he's the only one who can stop this war."

_And I thought my life was complicated…_


	5. Chapter 5

_Huh, I didn't realize I hadn't told them my name…_

"I'm Maggie by the way." I looked up at them. They had such strange names, I was afraid they would think mine was weird. They just looked at me and nodded in unspoken approval.

_Must be a guy thing… _I smiled inwardly and continued.

"So the firebender is Zuko, and Sokka is a…Waterbender?" I figured coloring had to do with what element you were attached to. Sokka had nice cerulean eyes, so I assumed water would be his thing.

"You're right about Zuko, but I'm actually not a bender at all. I'm from the water tribe, but I wasn't born with bending abilities like my sister."

_I guess that explains the boomerang…__I tried air and fire, but what about water?_

Without a word I got up off my rock and looked around at the ground. I searched all around until I found what I needed. The puddle was small in size, but I would have to do. I didn't know how waterbending worked, but I assumed it would be like air and fire. I would just have to _feel_ it.

"What are you doing?" Sokka inquired as I stuck my hand out above the water. With my palm facing down I tried to imagine what waterbending would feel like. I slowly brought my hand down, then up again in a fluid motion. I felt a strange sensation in my hand and arm. It was almost like the feeling of being magnetized, and having the water being attracted to you.

The water seemed to morph and shift in its pool, and a stream started to make its way upwards, towards my palm. When it reached me, I let it go and it fell back to the ground with a splash.

I turned to look at the guys again. They had the same strange expressions as before, and Sokka made a strange noise in the back of his throat.

"Aang has _got_ to see this…" Sokka said aloud. I had no problem with that, the more answers I could get from this place the better. After all, I would have to find a way home eventually right?

_Why would you want to do that? You'd be going back to no one…_

I've never exactly had an "apple-pie and white picket fence" life. My dad died when I was six, and my mom never really got over it. One thing led to another, one bottle led to five, and I ended up alone. The only people I had ever put real trust in were Mark and Jack…

_Mark that son of a bitch…_

"Maggie? Are you listening?" Zuko waved a hand in front of my face. I nodded and gave an apologetic look, and he continued.

"I was just saying you should come with us, and meet the rest of our group." I nodded in agreement, but I was still curious about my new abilities.

"Shouldn't I try earthbending too? Just to be sure?" Sokka stepped in then, shaking his head and waving his arms dramatically.

"No way! You don't know what you're doing, you could start and earthquake for all we know!"

_I hadn't thought of that. I guess these new powers make me pretty dangerous… _

Zuko nodded in agreement.

"Fire and earth can be dangerous to control without experience. You shouldn't use either until taught to."

"Fine," I said to them. "Then I guess we should get going."

I smiled and gestured outwardly with my arms. "Just lead the way boys."

We had walked about a half-mile down the path when I broke the silence.

"I just realized something. The Avatar is supposed to stop this Fire Lord guy, so why is he staying in the Fire Nation? That sounds pretty suicidal to me."

Zuko turned to look at me with those gorgeous amber eyes of his, and explained.

"My family owned a beach house here a long time ago, and it's abandoned now. It's the perfect place to hide." Zuko looked ahead again "After all, it's not like the Fire Lord would look for Aang in his own house."

"Wait, what? You just said _your_ family owned the house…"

"Yeah I did. FireLord Ozai is my father."

"I don't mean to pry, but why would you go against your own father?"

Zuko stopped to look at me again. His eyes were sad, and his voice sounded pained.

"It's a long story; I'd rather not talk about it."

I dropped it and we all started walking again. They were both ahead of me until Sokka fell back a bit to talk. This guy just seemed to bubble with energy. He was probably the funny guy of the group, while Zuko seemed like more of the silent-strict type. The rest of the way Sokka told me all about his home in the Southern Water Tribe. It sounded pretty sucky, after all who likes freezing cold weather 24/7? He also told me about the wildlife, and how everything here is a cross-species. The penguin-seals sounded adorable, if not a little freaky. "We're here." Zuko said suddenly. We walked out of the woods and into a giant courtyard. The ground was covered in pale stone, and there was a large fountain in the center. The house itself looked more like a small hotel. It was gigantic, and it faced the ocean. The roof was red, with those Asian-style pointed corners. It looked old, but not necessarily run-down. We headed for the stone stairs of the house when I heard a voice.

"Sokka! You're back!" A girl came out into the courtyard. Her hair was short and reddish-brown; she had pale skin and pretty hazel eyes. She ran up to Sokka and gave him a big hug. Then she kissed him on the cheek. Sokka looked elated, and he smiled big.

"Didn't you and Zuko get supplies? I don't see any bags." The girl looked up and saw me. She had a funny look on her face, and I figured my outfit must look pretty bizarre to her. I walked over to her, stuck out my hand, and introduced myself.

"Hi, I'm Maggie, and you are…?" The girl gave me a once-over, as if she were evaluating me. When her hazel eyes reached my jade ones again she smiled and shook my hand.

"I'm Suki. It's nice to meet you." I smiled brightly at being accepted. I figured if a goofball like Sokka won Suki over, then I should have no problem with her. She let go of my hand and hooked her and Sokka's arms together. She smiled warmly at me while she spoke.

"Mind if I ask who you are? And why my boyfriend came back without food?" Sokka's face flushed and he was going to clarify when Zuko cut in.

"We ran into some trouble in the marketplace. We had to save Maggie here from some Fire Nation thugs." Suki looked concerned.

"You're all ok though right? No one got hurt?" We all shook our heads and Zuko spoke again.

"Where is everyone? There's something we need to show them. Especially Aang."

Suki explained that everyone was on the beach. She had hung back to wait for Sokka to come back. We followed Suki across the courtyard and down a pathway that lead to the ocean. Suki yelled out to everyone.

"Hey guys can you all come over here! Meet us in the courtyard!" We all walked back up the path and waited for the others to catch up. There were three of them. One was a short, pale, girl with black hair that was pulled back by a headband. I couldn't see her eyes through the mess of hair, but I could see her eyes were…hazel? Blue? The other girl was darker skinned, with long brown hair, and striking blue eyes.

_She must be Sokka's sister, Katara._

The third person was a short bald kid. He was pale with hazel eyes, and he had the coolest tattoo. It was a blue arrow that started at his forehead and seemed to run all over his body. They all walked over to us with confused looks.

"What's wrong Suki? What did you want to show us" Katara inquired. Zuko stepped in and said in a serious tone.

"We found another airbender."


	6. Chapter 6

I thought Baldy's eyes might pop out of his head. His voice sounded so hopeful.

"What are you talking about?" I stepped forward then, and introduced myself. My voice was quiet, and my hands started shaking a bit. I've never been good with crowds, and right now I felt like I was under a spotlight.

"Uh, hi my name's Maggie…" I gave a slight smirk and waited for a response. The kids face lit up like a Christmas tree. He was about to say something when Katara cut him off.

"Can you prove that you're an airbender?" She had a skeptical look on her face, and her arms were crossed in front of her. I felt heat in my cheeks, and my hands kept trembling.

"Well uh, ok. I can try…" I stepped away from the group, but I could feel all eyes on me. My heart was beating hard, and I could feel my breath quicken. I closed my eyes so I could focus. I only knew one move, so I sucked in a deep breath and aimed for the trees. I blew out with amazing force, and this time I knocked myself over. The trees shook violently, and some branches even broke off.

I landed on my butt, and felt a sharp pain in my lower back. I reached around to rub the area, and then tried to get off the ground. I dusted off my skirt, and looked at my little audience. They all looked shocked, but not as much as Aang. The kid looked like he was going to cry. Katara looked stunned, but the shorter girl had almost no expression. She wasn't even looking directly at me…

_Is she…blind? Her eyes don't seem to focus…_

"I can't believe this…" Katara seemed to be at a loss for words. Sokka cut in.

"That's not even the weirdest part. She can bend other elements too." All eyes were on Sokka as he continued.

"Yeah, we saw her bend water and fire too. I don't know about you guys, but I think this reeks of spirit world mumbo jumbo." I could feel everyone's eyes borough into me, and I got really uncomfortable. I felt like some sort of freak on display until Aang spoke again.

"Who_ are _you?"

_Oh god they're all staring at me..._

"I don't know how I'm able to do this stuff ok? I was in this weird field one minute, then the next I was in this place and I could do this weird stuff I'm not even sure how it happened, we can't do this stuff in my world!"

I said it all in one breath, and worked on slowing my heart rate. I was afraid of having a panic attack. I've been getting them ever since my dad died, and they could get pretty bad. My vision blurred, and my head started to swim. I hadn't even realized I was falling until someone wrapped their arms around me.

_So warm…_

I could hear someone calling my name, but I couldn't answer. I went limp and slipped into the darkness.

I woke up in a room, with wooded walls and floors. There were two windows, both with tattered red curtains, and a dresser against the wall across from me. The room smelled of dust, and the air was warm. I was on a soft bed in the corner of the room, and I was covered in a brown blanket. The bed was against a wall to the left of me, and when I looked to the right I noticed a nightstand with a lamp on it. I sat upright and let out a low groan. My headache had returned with a vengeance, and I opted to place my head on the pillow once more. I was about to turn over onto my side when I heard the door creak open slowly. I sat up a little more slowly, and looked up to face the intruder.

Katara walked into the room carrying a bowl of something. She walked over and placed the bowl on the nightstand. She sat on a chair next to the bed.

"How are you feeling? Is there any pain?" I looked at her and nodded. I winced at the movement and replied.

"My head is killing me, but other than that I'm ok." Without another word she placed her hand on my forehead. She held it for a moment, and then pulled it back looking satisfied. She placed both of her hands into the bowl next to her. When she pulled them out, water was sticking to her hands like a pair of liquid gloves. My eyes widened in amazement as the water started to glow bright blue. I was about to pull away when Katara spoke in a stern voice.

"Hold still. This should stop the pain." I sat frozen in place as Katara placed her cool hands on my temples. She rubbed the area in a circular motion, and I could feel the pain receding.

"Oh." was all I could mutter as I felt the ache being sucked away. When she was satisfied Katara pulled her hands away, and moved the water back into her bowl. She turned to look at me again with a questioning look on her face.

"That's amazing, the pain's completely gone. Thank you." I gave her a small smile, but she just leaned back in her seat and folded her arms across her chest.

"Now that that's taken care of, mind telling me who you are?"

"I told you; my name's Maggie, and trust me I'm just as confused as you are." Her eyes narrowed slightly, but she seemed satisfied with my answer. She got up suddenly, and picked up her bowl. Katara looked at me and spoke in a stern voice. Actually it was almost motherly, something I wasn't used to.

"Just rest for a little longer, we don't want the pain to come back. We also found some new clothes for you; they're in the dresser over there." I nodded and she continued.

"Let's just make one thing clear. Don't mistake my kindness as trust. After all, I do have my family to protect and I won't hesitate to take you down if necessary."

My eyes widened slightly, and I gulped involuntarily. This girl could be seriously frightening when she tried. I focused on keeping my voice steady.

"I understand. After all, we just met. Oh, and thank you Katara, I appreciate the help." I gave her a smile, and to my surprise I got one back. Katara turned and walked out the door. After she closed it I heard voices outside.

"Can I see her now? Is she awake? Are you sure I can't talk to her now?"

_Sounds like Baldy…_

"No Aang she could be dangerous. I know you're excited to see another airbender, but we only just met her this morning."

"Come on Sugar Queen, I'm sure Twinkle Toes can handle himself."

_Huh, I don't recognize that voice. Maybe it's that blind girl?_

"Toph don't encourage him! We have no idea what she's capable of."

_So her name's Toph. She sounds snarky; I think I'm going to like her. _

I heard a groan then footsteps walking away. I put my head back on my pillow and tried to fall back asleep.

_Of course I finally get comfortable and I can't sleep_.

I sighed and threw off my covers. I stepped off the bed and stretched. I spotted a mirror next to the dresser and walked over to it. I gave myself a once-over and scowled. My hair was everywhere, and my costume was nearly torn to pieces. There were little rips and tears all over the skirt, and the black and white striped stockings. My shoes were missing so I looked around the room. They were neatly placed beside the bed. I stepped to the right and opened the top drawer to the dresser.

I put on the clothes and looked in the mirror again. I was wearing black, knee-length leggings, and a wrap-around, crimson skirt that tied on the left side. The top was the same shade of red as the skirt, and it had one strap on the left shoulder. The shoes they gave me were black and a bit small but I figured they would stretch. They had a funny looking curve at the toes. I also found a red ribbon in the drawer, and used it to tie my hair back.

When I was satisfied I walked over to the door, and stepped out.


	7. Chapter 7

I stepped out the door and turned left. I walked down the long hallway until I came to a set of double doors. I opened them up and stepped outside into the bright sunlight. I ended up back in the courtyard, but no one was around. I was going to check the beach when I heard a loud groan. I froze and looked around. There, sitting on the far side of the yard was this giant furry beast.

It had six legs and an arrow on its white fluffy head. It looked like a fuzzy, white, beaver-tailed, bison. I would have freaked if it weren't so…cute! It had an arrow on his head just like Aang, so I figured this creature must belong to him.

I cautiously stepped down the stairs and inched towards the animal. He yawned and I noticed his teeth weren't sharp. I was relieved he was a vegetarian, and won't try to eat me. I was so close now I could feel his breath on me. The animal looked at me with these big adorable eyes, and gave me a whiff.

I stood completely still; I didn't want to freak it out. The animal gave another groan and pushed his nose up against me. I nearly fell over, but planted my feet firmly on the ground. I reached out and patted his nose. Suddenly a giant tongue came out and licked me. It was gross, but I took it as a form of endearment and rewarded it with a kiss on the nose. I used waterbending to get most of the slime off me.

_These new abilities really come in handy…_

"Well you're just a big softy aren't you?" He answered with another groan and I laughed. I had always loved animals, and this fluff-ball was extra hard to resist! I gave him another peck on the nose when I heard a voice behind me.

"Looks like Appa likes you. That'll earn you big points with Twinkle Toes." It was that snarky voice again. I turned around and saw Toph with her black hair covering her eyes, and one hand on her hip. I smiled and tried to mimic her sarcastic tone.

"Twinkle Toes? Do you give all your friends such lovely nicknames?" Toph laughed.

"It's how I show affection. Aang is Twinkle Toes, Katara is Sugar Queen, and Zuko is Sparky. I'm still working on Sokka and Suki's; I just need the right inspiration." We both laughed and I stepped closer to her.

_I want to ask if she's blind, but I don't want to be rude…_

"Hey Toph, um, do you mind if I ask a personal question?" She seemed to know where this conversation was going and answered right away.

"Yes I'm blind, but I can still see. I use earthbending to feel the vibrations around me. It's basically seeing with my feet."

"Wow, that's really amazing! This stuff is all so new to me, I don't even know if I can earthbend."

"I'd help you out, but Aang and Zuko are about to start firebending practice."

I thought about that for a moment. I figured I should ask to join in, after all Zuko said himself that firebending could be dangerous if I didn't know how to use it properly. As I was thinking, I noticed Aang and Zuko climbing the hill from the beach. My breath caught in my throat when I saw them step out into the yard. Both guys were only wearing shorts, and I used all my force to pry my eyes off Zuko's excellently toned chest. I silently prayed that Toph couldn't feel my heart beating so fast. I guess she noticed because she called out to the guys before I could make another move.

"Hey Sparky! You mind if Maggie here joins in the lesson?" I felt so flustered. I didn't want to intrude or anything, I mean, Aang had to save the world in like three days. I was afraid to be a distraction. Luckily neither boy looked put out. If anything, Zuko looked slightly curious, while Aang looked ecstatic.

"Of course you can!" Aang was full of such a carefree energy; I didn't know how to respond. Zuko cut in before I could say anything back.

"Well, how much fighting experience do you have in general? Aang and I are pretty advanced in that department, and I don't want you to hurt yourself."

_This better not just be because I'm a girl or something stupid like that…_

"I have some experience. I took a couple of fighting classes, and I learned a lot." I bluffed, but only because I didn't want to seem weak to them.

"I should mention I can tell when someone's lying. They give off certain vibrations." Toph interjected and I blushed deeply.

"Ok fine. I took like six classes, but I think I learned a good amount." They all seemed to accept that answer and Zuko stepped forward.

"We should see where you're at, so I know where to start." He turned and said, "Aang I need you to do hog-squats until we're done. Got it?" Aang groaned dramatically but complied. Zuko gestured for me to follow him. We stood in the middle of the yard, and we were about three or four feet apart. We faced each other and Zuko spoke.

"Hit me."

"What if I hurt you or something?"

Zuko chuckled a bit at that. I didn't even know he knew how to laugh. My blushing increased and I rushed forward. I jabbed my right fist forward, aiming for his jaw. His arm went up in a flash and knocked my arm away. Zuko grabbed my wrist and my arm was twisted behind my back. It didn't hurt, but I couldn't get out of his grasp. I held my breath when he leaned in close and spoke right next to my ear.

"Think before you strike. That was pretty pathetic." I could practically feel him smiling behind me. Zuko released my wrist and I turned to face him again. I was right, he was smirking and my blood started to boil. I took a deep breath to calm myself. I had an idea.

"I think I might be better on defense. You strike first." Zuko shrugged and pondered his first move. I was ready this time. Sure they knew about my six karate classes, but they didn't know about my seven _years_ in gymnastics. I could definitely use that to my advantage. Sure Zuko was muscular, but he didn't seem very flexible.

Zuko lunged while I was distracted, and jabbed his fist forward. I was prepared, and dropped into a split. The look on his face was priceless. I used his surprise to my advantage and trapped his legs in-between mine. He tumbled to the ground with a loud _oof._ I tried to get up, but Zuko was faster. He shoulder checked me and we both tumbled back onto the ground. Before I could react he flipped me flipped me onto my back, straddled my waist, and grabbed my wrists. He held them above my head, and put on another smug grin.

His face was mere inches away from mine when he spoke in a low voice.

"That was a good first try, but you have a long way to go."

_This guy thinks he's so hot! He's just trying to get me all flustered so I can't fight… Two can play at this game._

I brought my face closer to his and spoke in a sarcastic tone.

"Well thank you for trying to teach me Zuko." I thrust my hips up and rubbed against him for a second. Zuko's eyes widened and he took in a sharp breath. His grip on my wrists faltered, and I grabbed my opportunity. I pulled my legs to my chest and kicked upwards. Zuko went flying off me, and landed on his back behind me.

I could hear Toph laughing, and she could barely get her words out.

"Oh wow, she got you good Sparky! That was priceless." I sat up and looked over at Aang who was trying his best to stifle his laughter. I couldn't help but smile as I got off the ground. My hair fell in front of my eyes, and I realized my ribbon had fallen out. I saw Zuko get off the ground and face me. He looked irritated, but I could see a little blush on his cheeks.

"You cheated." He said in a childish tone. I folded my arms across my chest and spoke confidently.

"Whatever it takes to survive. Right?" Zuko sighed and smirked. He walked over to me and held out his hand.

"You dropped this when you fell." I took my ribbon from him, and used it to put my hair back up.

_His hands were so warm…must be a firebender thing._

"Since I passed that little test, can I practice firebending now?" Zuko nodded and called Aang over. He started with the basics, such as making a flame, and fire punches and kicks. I screwed up a lot at first, but after about half an hour I got the general gist. Zuko also taught us some blocking moves, and then we spent fifteen minutes on these god-awful breathing exercises. Just before I lost my mind Katara appeared at the staircase with drinks.

"Who wants a nice cool glass of watermelon juice?" Aang nearly sprinted towards her, but Zuko got a hold of him first. His sounded irritated.

"Aang your lesson's not over yet!" Baldy let out a whine, and Suki tried to reason with him.

"You guys have been practicing for hours. It's ok to take a break once in a while."

Zuko grumbled out a "Fine." and released Aang. He rushed over to Katara and took one of the cups. Sokka suddenly spoke out.

"Suki's right, we've all been working too hard. Let's take a break. Beach party!" He yelled and everyone followed him down to the beach. I was totally shocked. This kid was supposed to defeat this evil fire lord guy in _three days_. Why didn't he seem worried in the slightest? I heard Zuko sigh, and followed him to the stairs. We sat down next to each other and rested for a moment before Zuko cut the silence.

"I really don't understand that kid. He should be using this time to practice, not screw around on the beach!" He exhaled and a little puff of fire came out.

"He does realize he only has three days left to prepare right?" Zuko nodded, then leaned back, using his elbows for support. He seemed to be deep in thought for a moment. He sat up suddenly and looked at me. His voice sounded mischievous.

"Want to help me teach him a lesson?"


	8. Chapter 8

I stood at the top of the hill, looking down at the people below me. I could see Aang building a sand sculpture of Appa, while Toph used her earthbending to make an entire miniature city. Suki was sunbathing, Katara was surfing, and Sokka was making some sort of sea-monster sculpture.

I remembered Zuko's instructions, and waited for his first move. The idea was to see how well Aang would react to a surprise attack. The point was to make Aang realize that he wasn't prepared for battle, and needed to focus on practicing. I couldn't use firebending for this because of my inexperience; I didn't want to hurt Aang by accident.

I noticed Aang and Toph go over to Sokka's sculpture. Suddenly there was a loud bang, and Sokka's sculpture exploded. I looked ahead and saw Zuko rush after Aang.

"What are you doing?" Aang shouted at him as he dodged another explosion.

"Teaching you a lesson!" Zuko yelled back as he sent another fire blast at Baldy. He tried to use airbending to get away, but I sent a gust of wind at him. Aang fell back to the ground, and barely dodged a scorching blow from Zuko.

Aang used his bending to blast himself forward, instead of up, and ran up the hill back to the house. I followed them over there; my job was basically to keep Aang from using his airbending to run away. When I got to the house the boys were already on the roof. I could hear them yelling again.

"Stop it before I blast you off this roof!"

"Go ahead and do it!"

Another explosion pierced my ears, and I noticed Aang climb down from the roof and enter the house through a door on one of the second-floor decks. Zuko quickly followed after him. I speedily looked around for another entrance, so I could cut Aang off. I noticed an open window on the second floor and ran over to it. I used airbending to jump up and grab on to the ledge of the window. I pulled myself in, but quickly realized it was a mistake. Zuko was already standing in front of me, facing Aang. The hallway was on fire, and the little bald airbender looked pissed.

"Enough!" He shouted and sent a blast of air straight at me and Zuko. We were both propelled backwards, out the window, and into a tree. I could hear Zuko fall back down to the ground with a thud, but I was stuck. I had used my leg to catch myself on a branch, and was hanging upside down. I could see I wasn't very far from the ground, but I was a little scared to jump. I saw Zuko crawl out of the bushes and get to his feet. He looked up and saw me in the tree.

"Maggie, are you ok?" He sounded concerned, but I could practically feel the smile on his face. I looked like a moron and we both knew it.

"I'm fine."

I blushed; I must have looked really silly. I started to get dizzy as I felt the blood rush to my skull. I tried to sit up on the branch but I moved to fast and my vision darkened with spots. I lost my grip and fell backwards out of the tree. I was expecting to land on the hard ground, but ended up on something softer. I was lying on my back, and sat up. I heard a grunt, looked under me and realized I had landed on Zuko.

_He tried to catch me? What a dummy I could have really hurt him…_

I let out a little gasp and quickly got off him. I knelt beside him, and put a hand on his shoulder. I gave him a little shake.

"Oh my god Zuko, I'm so sorry! Are you ok, I didn't hurt you did I?" He just groaned in response and sat up. My hair fell in front of my eyes, and I pushed it away. Zuko saw me messing with my stupid hair, and held out his hand. It was my ribbon.

"When I fell I saw it on the ground. That's when I looked up and saw you hanging there like a howler monkey." He cracked a smile and I blushed again. I took the ribbon from him and quickly fixed my hair. Zuko stood up and held out his hand. I took it and he helped me off the ground. We made our way back to the house when we ran into Katara.

"What the hell was that? You could have hurt Aang!" The whole group had followed us back to the house. Zuko stepped forward, with a scowl on his face. He sounded irritated.

"I was trying to remind Aang that he has to face my father in _three days_! He's never going to defeat Ozai before the comet arrives at this rate!" Nobody said anything after that. They all just kind of looked at him with guilty expressions. Zuko sounded confused.

"Why are you all looking at me like I'm crazy?" Aang interjected then.

"I know I'm not ready. That's why I was going to wait until _after_ the comet to take down the fire lord."

Zuko looked totally shocked. His voice cracked a bit with his next words.

"Aang you can't do that."

"Why can't I? If I try to face him now, I'm not going to win!"

"Because if you don't defeat him before the comet arrives, there won't be a world to save anymore."

Zuko proceeded to tell us all about his father's awful plan to use the comet to destroy the Earth Kingdom, just like they had with the Air Nomads. He wanted to create a world consisting only of firebenders. Everyone was completely horrified. Katara fell to her knees, Sokka and Suki looked like they might cry, and Toph looked like she was going to vomit. Katara sounded so broken at that moment.

"I can't believe this…" Aang started pacing, then crouched on the ground and buried his face in his hands.

"This is bad. This is really bad! Why didn't you tell me about your dad's crazy plan sooner?" He yelled at Zuko, who looked beyond pissed right now.

"I didn't think I had to! No one told me you were waiting until after the comet came!"

I didn't know what to say. I felt like I should help in some way, but I had only just met these people. I didn't know how to help them. I tried to go for a simple approach.

"Guys, calm down! It's not like Aang is doing this all by himself. He has all of you to help him. You can still win." They all looked at me with hopeful eyes.

"She's right." Toph said it in a determined voice. "If we all fight the fire lord together, we've got a shot at taking him down."

Aang stood up again, and let his arms drop to his sides.

"Fighting the fire lord is going to be the hardest thing we've ever done, but I wouldn't want to do it any other way."

Everyone seemed to relax, and then they….

_Oh god, no way…_

Aang opened his arms for a mushy group hug. I took that as my queue to slip away. I wasn't a very "touchy feely" type of person, and I was pretty much still a stranger to them. I quickly made my way down the hill to the beach. I looked around and saw the remains of the sand sculptures Zuko had destroyed. I stepped around Toph's broken down city, and made my way towards the sea.

It was beautiful here. The sea was calm, with little waves trying to reach me. I sat down where the dry sand met wet sand, and hugged my knees to my chest. I thought about home and wondered if anyone was looking for me. I figured the only one who would put in the effort is Jack. I was going to include Mark in that statement, but the truth is I don't know him as well as I thought I did.

_He's the reason I'm in this crazy place. He's the reason I might never see my best friend again._

I could feel that oh-so-familiar sting in my eyes, and buries my head in my arms. I was trying to calm myself with one of the breathing exercises we learned today, when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I jumped and looked up.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Zuko apologized and then looked at my face. He furrowed his brow and bent closer. I looked at him in confusion.

"What is there something on my face?"

"Your eyes are red. What's wrong?"

I was surprised he noticed that. I hadn't even let the tears out, yet he noticed I was upset. When I didn't answer right away he sat down on the sand next to me. He sighed, and spoke in a softer tone.

"You know, now that you're part of the group you'll have to learn to trust us."

"I was just thinking of home, and wondering…if anyone was looking for me." I could hear my voice crack, and prayed he wouldn't notice. He put a hand on my shoulder and asked,

"Why would you think that? Don't you have any friends or family?"

I felt the sting again and tried to continue without crying.

"That's kind of the reason I'm here. There's probably only one person who would bother searching for me, and I might never see him again."

I felt Zuko stiffen for a second, or maybe I had just imagined it. I figured I should tell him the whole story. He was right after all; I would have to earn trust around here. I turned to face him, and told him everything.


	9. Chapter 9

"_You really didn't have to invite me Mags. I would have been just as happy at home with my good friends, ice-cream and Netflix."_

"_Come on Jackie, you know I couldn't go without you!"_

_I had dressed up as Alice for this party, and Jack dressed as Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid. His jet black hair and striking blue eyes were perfect for his costume choice. I only picked Alice because Mark wanted to get "couple costumes", and was going as the Mad Hatter._

_I dragged a reluctant Jack by his sleeve up to the front door of the two story house. You could practically feel the music pulsing through the light blue walls. My boyfriend Mark always threw big parties when his parents were away. I knew knocking would be pointless so we just let ourselves in. The entire house was packed with costume-clad teenagers, and it smelled like a mix of alcohol, weed, and pizza. _

"_Mark sure is a classy one Mags. You sure know how to pick'em." Jack said sarcastically. He and Mark had never really gotten along. Jack says he has this "sixth sense" about people, and thinks Mark is bad news. I blamed it on jealousy, after all, Jack and I had been friends since elementary school. I had only been dating Mark for a year now, and although he had a temper he was also very sweet. He balanced the good and bad, and I was ok with that._

"_Speak of the devil…" Jack said under his breath as Mark strode into the room. He was in his Mad Hatter costume, and he even added a bit of makeup. He and Jack exchanged their ceremonial evil glares, and then he turned to me and smiled._

"_Hey Maggie, I'm happy you decided to come. I know parties aren't your thing." I leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek._

"_I figured I should go to at least one of your parties." I teased and we both laughed. Jack raised an eyebrow and said in an extra sardonic voice,_

"_Please don't let me interrupt this little love fest. I think I'll go get a drink or something…" He started to walk away when I grabbed his sleeve again._

"_No! Don't go! I brought you so we could all hang out. Not so you could get wasted." _

_Marks lips pressed into a line, and his brow furrowed slightly. I looked at him and asked,_

"_It's ok if he stays with us isn't it?" _

"_Of course it's fine." He said it through clenched teeth. I knew he wasn't happy about it, but Jack was the only one who knew how to handle one of my little "episodes". Social situations were really tough for me, and he was the only one who knew what to say and do to keep me from passing out. This house was packed, and I could already feel my hands start to tremble. I gave him a look, and he seemed to understand. He came back into the group, but folded his arms across his chest. I looked closer at his face and asked in a concerned voice,_

"_Jack is something wrong?" _

"_No…well…not really." I raised an eyebrow at him, but he wouldn't look me in the eye. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Mark shifting his weight from one leg to the other. He spoke in an agitated tone,_

"_I'm going to go get us drinks, k?" He walked through the crowd before we could answer, and I turned back to Jack._

"_I know something's wrong, and if you don't tell me right now so help me…" If looks could kill Jack would be dead. He caved and whispered in my ear,_

"_Can we talk somewhere private? I don't want anyone to hear." _

"_Sure, we can use Mark's room upstairs. Come on, we can talk there." _

_I was a bit freaked out about this. Jack wasn't normally this private. He usually didn't care what people thought of him, and this was pretty out of character. We climbed the stairs, took a right, and stepped into the last door on the left. The lights were off and I reached for the light switch, but Jack stopped me._

"_I don't want anyone to know we're in here." He closed the door behind us, and walked past me to the center of the room. Thankfully the moon was bright tonight so I could see where I was walking. I stepped closer to him and put both hands on his shoulders. I turned him so he could face me._

"_You're starting to scare me. Please tell me what's bothering you." _

"_I'm sorry Mags, I'm just afraid of what you'll think…"_

"_Jackie, don't be silly. You know I'll love you no matter what." I gave his shoulders a squeeze, and he looked up with worry in his eyes. I sighed and pulled him over to the edge of the big queen sized bed, and sat him down next to me. I looked him in the eyes and said,_

"_Tell me everything."_

**_Mark's POV_**

_I was supposed to be getting some drinks for Maggie and her stupid friend, but I was just too frustrated to go back. Why did she always have to tote that guy around? She had me, wasn't that enough?_

_I downed another shot, and tried to remember if that was number eight or nine. I could feel the alcohol coursing through me, and decided to go back to the group. _

_Wasn't I supposed to get something?_

_I had walked back empty handed, but I guess it didn't matter because Maggie and that idiot were nowhere to be seen. I grabbed the nearest person and asked them, _

"_Have you seen Maggie around?" They pointed to the stairs and said, _

"_She just went up there with some guy not too long ago." _

_I let them go and stumbled over to the stairs. I climbed them clumsily, silently thanking the gods I didn't trip on my way up. I looked right and left down both hallways, and noticed the door to my room was open a crack, but the light was off. I walked over to it and opened it. There was Maggie, in the arms of that guy. I felt my face heat up, and the rage just poured out of me._

"_What the hell!?"_

**_Maggie's POV_**

_After Jack told me his big secret I pulled him into a hug and held him tight. I was a little hurt at how surprised he sounded,_

"_You're ok with it? It doesn't bother you at all?" I hugged him tighter and replied,_

"_Of course it's ok! You're my family, and I will love you no matter what."_

_He wrapped his arms around me when I heard a loud crash and a very angry voice._

"_What the hell!?" _

_Mark stood at the doorway with a frightening expression. His face was twisted in anger, and I could smell the alcohol on him from where I was sitting. Jack and I stood up quickly, and I realized what my mistake was. The lights were off, we were sitting on the bed in each other's arms. But Mark knew better than to suspect anything like that! Especially when it comes to Jack._

"_Mark calm down, it's not what you think. Are you drunk?"_

_He didn't seem to hear me because he stomped over to us and grabbed Jack by his shirt and hauled his ass out the door. Mark shoved him out and closed the door. He turned the lock, and I could hear Jack on the other side banging on the door shouting, _

"_Maggie! I'm getting help!"_

_I gulped involuntarily, but my throat was beyond dry right now. Mark looked like a drunken mess and his voiced cracked when he spoke._

"_How could you cheat on me with that moron? I thought you loved me!" _

_He sounded like a wounded girlfriend rather than a jealous boyfriend. I pegged it on the alcohol, stepped closer, and tried to reason with him._

"_Mark I told you it's not what you think. We weren't doing anything…!"_

_A hand lashed out, and I felt my head whip to the side. My vision darkened for a moment, and I could taste blood. I brought a hand to my lip and saw the dark liquid on my fingers. I looked up at him in horror. He looked confused, and started rambling._

"_I'm sorry I just got so mad I didn't mean to do that please Maggie you gotta believe me!" He tried to reach for me but I flinched away. I bolted for the door, and luckily unlocked it before he could grab me. _

_I passed Jack and some bigger guys on my way down the hall. He grabbed my arm and got a look at my face. His eyes got wide and said in the most serious tone,_

"_I'm going to kill him. Mags wait!" _

_I wiggled out of his grasp and ran down the stairs, through the crowd, and out the backdoor into the chilly October night._


	10. Chapter 10

"So I ran out the back, into the woods, and somehow ended up here."

I didn't mention the weird field; I didn't want to sound totally crazy. I hugged my knees to my chest again, and rested my chin on my arms. I was afraid to look at Zuko, and see pity in his eyes. I was going to try and brush it off like it wasn't that bad, when I felt an incredible heat next to me. I looked over at Zuko, but he wasn't looking back at me. He was just staring into the sea with an almost frightening expression. He sounded angry as he said,

"People like that make me sick. That guy has no honor, and doesn't deserve someone like you."

"It doesn't matter now anyway. Now that I'm here I'll probably never see him again."

"It does matter. He hurt you, and if he ever shows up here, he's going to pay for it."

I looked at him then, and froze as he reached out a hand to my face. He gently put his hand under my chin, and turned my face towards him. I was totally speechless when he leaned closer. He traced his thumb over my bottom lip, and said,

"He cut you."

It wasn't a question. I just nodded slightly, and he pulled his hand away. I could still feel the warmth from his hand on my face, and I begged my body not to blush. He was about to say something else when I heard someone clear their throat behind us. We were both surprised and turned quickly around to see Toph standing there with her hands on her hips. She spoke in that –ever-so-snarky tone of hers,

"Sorry to interrupt whatever this is, but Aang needs you guys up here."

We both followed Toph back up the hill and into the courtyard. Sokka and Suki weren't around, and Toph went to sit with Katara on the stairs. Aang walked over to Zuko and bowed.

"I'm sorry for goofing off so much, but I'm ready to learn if you're ready to teach me."

"Good because there's something you need to learn before facing my father."

Aang raised his head again, and we both looked at Zuko. His tone was deadly serious,

"You need to learn how to redirect lightning."

Zuko took a few steps back and faced the both of us. He stretched both his arms out to the left and slightly pointed up, using two fingers. He dragged one hand back down to his stomach, and then pointed it out again in the opposite direction. He repeated the movement with his other arm. He did it once more, and then spoke to us again.

"If you let the energy in your own body flow, the lightning with follow it. You have to turn your opponent's energy against them."

Aang looked intrigued. He started to copy Zuko's movements, and I followed the suit.

"That sounds a lot like waterbending." Aang added, and Zuko replied with,

"Exactly. My uncle invented this technique after studying waterbenders."

_Wow, his uncle sounds pretty bad-ass, I mean come on; Lightning bending? Awesome._

Once I got the hang of the movements I asked Zuko,

"Have you ever actually had to redirect lightning before?"

His tone was serious as he answered,

"Once, against my father."

"What was it like?"

He stopped then, and seemed to ponder the question. Aang and I stopped as well, and listened carefully as he spoke.

"It was exhilarating, yet terrifying. You feel so powerful holding that much energy in your body, but you know that if you make the wrong move…it's over."

Aang looked frightened, but asked in a hopeful voice,

"Not, like, _over_ over…right?"

"Over, as in, your heart will probably stop. My father will definitely try to use lightning against you. You're going to have to take his life before he takes yours."

I gulped involuntarily, and Aang looked conflicted. Zuko turned and walked up the stairs, and into the house. I stood next to Aang and asked him,

"Aang, are you ok?"

He sighed and spoke in a sad tone,

"You're new here so you probably don't know. The Avatar is born into a new cycle after each life. In this one I was born an Air Nomad, and I was taught that every life is sacred. I've always believed in that, and now I'm practically being forced to kill a man."

I put a hand on his shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. I tried to maintain a calm, and understanding, tone.

"Aang, this man is going to end the lives of thousands of people. This just seems like a sacrifice you'll have to make. It's him, or thousands of innocent people."

He looked at me, and could swear there were tears in his eyes; but he seemed to understand and nodded slightly. I gave him a small smile and said,

"It's not like you have to go through this alone. You have your family here with you, and I know we just met, but I promise I'll be here for you too."

He brightened up then, and surprised me with a bear hug.

_Jeeze the scrawny kid's stronger than he looks… _

"Thank you Maggie. I really need to hear that right now."

I gave up and hugged him back. When we let go Katara and Toph walked over to us.

"My brother and Suki have been working on a training course. They should be ready by now, so we should head over there."

"Gather 'round team Avatar."

We all stood around Sokka as he shared his "battle strategy. The area we walked to mostly consisted of rocks, and there were large boulders everywhere. Behind Sokka was his makeshift fire lord, which Aang was meant to "kill". It was basically a scarecrow with a watermelon for a head. Sokka spoke in a matter-of-fact voice.

"In order to defeat the fire lord, or in this case the melon lord, our timing has to be perfect."

He used a stick to draw a visual of his plan as he explained it.

"First, Suki and I will draw his fire. Then Katara and Zuko charge in with some liquidy-hot offense, and while the melon lord is distracted Aang swoops in and BAM! He delivers the final blow."

I looked over and saw Aang's face drop a bit. I was going to ask a question but Toph beat me to it.

"Uh, what about me?"

"For now you're the melon lords' forces."

"So I get to chuck flaming rocks at all of you?"

_She sounds way too happy about that…_

"Whatever makes the training feel more realistic."

"Sweetness." Toph gave a scary grin, and the group was about to disperse when I cut in.

"Wait, what should I do?"

Sokka looked surprised, and spoke in an apologetic voice.

"Crap, I'm sorry Maggie! I almost forgot that we had an extra team member."

"It's ok; I just want to be able to help when the time comes."

Sokka stopped to think for a moment then continued with,

"Well the basic idea is to get past Toph to reach the melon lord, but I already paired everyone off…"

He seemed to be deep in thought when I got an idea.

"Well I can try it by myself, if that's ok?"

"I guess that's ok. It could be good practice for you…ok. It'll be Suki and I, Zuko and Katara, and Maggie will fly solo."

We all dispersed to our designated areas and waited for the first strike from Toph. I was hiding behind a large rock formation, but I knew that would be useless against someone who could _feel_ where I was. I heard a maniacal laugh come from the top of the hill where the melon lord was perched. I peeked around my hiding spot only to see Toph move an oil covered boulder over an open flame, and chuck it into the air. Sokka and Suki had already made their first move and were rushing forward towards the melon lord.

I heard Toph's bolder crash to the ground, darted out from behind my hiding place, and ran forward. I had only gotten about fifteen feet when two rock-soldiers burst from the ground and blocked my path. They moved towards me, and I barley dodged them. I instinctively shot out my right hand and a burst of fire came out and destroyed one of the soldiers. I quickly dodged the other, and repeated the attack. The head came clean off, and I turned to run up the hill again.

I looked to my left only to see Katara and Zuko fighting off a hoard of rock-soldiers. I was really impressed as they took out the group in a matter of seconds. I was snapped back to reality when I heard Suki shout,

"Look out!"

I looked up just in time to see the flaming boulder flying at me, and used airbending to push myself out of the way. I fell to the ground with a thud, but quickly got to my feet again.

_This girl is crazy; she's going to kill someone! _

I heard another crash and looked over at Sokka, who was lying on the ground face to face with a flaming boulder. I watched in admiration as Suki gracefully jumped up onto the boulder, then off the other side. Sokka yelled out,

"Watch it Toph!"

I felt chills run down my spine when Toph shouted back,

"I am not Toph! I am Melon Lord! Muahahahaha!" With that she launched another rock towards Zuko and Katara. They dodged it easily, and I used Tophs' moment of distraction to run as fast as I could. I'm a pretty fast runner, so I reached Katara and Zuko in no time. Katara turned to me for a moment and said in a breathless voice,

"You're not half bad for a beginner."

"Thanks, but I have a long way to go before I'm anything like you guys. I can't believe you guys do this stuff all the time!"

I was still trying to catch my breath when I heard Zuko yell,

"Mags!" I felt a rough tug on my arm and was pulled away into someone's arms. I heard a crash next to me, and realized what happened. Toph had used _my_ moment of distraction to send a boulder at me. Zuko had seen it, and pulled me out of the way. I was wrapped up in his arms, and I stopped breathing.

_I can feel his heart beating…So warm…so safe…_

He was still holding on to me when I heard Sokka yell,

"Now Aang!"

Zuko let go then, and we both looked up at the melon lord. Aang had jumped out from behind a rock and was about to deliver his final blow. Just as he was about to strike, he froze in place and stopped his attack. Zuko shouted out to him,

"Aang what are you waiting for? Take him out!"

Aang just looked down and replied,

"I can't"

I felt so bad for him at that moment. If he couldn't kill a watermelon, how was he supposed to kill the Fire Lord? Sokka walked up the hill and spoke to Aang in an irritated tone.

"What's wrong with you? If this were the real thing you'd be shot full of lightning by now!"

"I'm sorry, but it just didn't feel right. I didn't feel like myself."

Aang looked down in shame, and Sokka walked up to the melon lord, and decapitated him with his sword.

"There. That's how it's done."

Aang looked at him in horror, but Sokka's usually comical grin was replaced with a steel gaze. Nobody said anything as they made their way down the hill, back to the house. Aang hung back for a moment, and then made his way down.

Instead of heading back I stepped forward and looked at the broken melon lord. I picked one of the pieces up and gazed at it for a moment. I could feel tears in my eyes as I thought of the burden that poor kid must be carrying. I felt a hand on my shoulder and heard that familiar gruff voice.

"Are you ok?"

I didn't really know how to answer, so I just kept staring at the remains of the fallen melon lord. Zuko waited patiently, so I tried to answer.

"I'm just worried about Aang. If he can't even decapitate a melon, how is he supposed to murder someone?"

I let the melon drop to the ground, and turned around to face Zuko. I was hoping he wouldn't notice the tears in my eyes, but he noticeably stiffened and his eyes widened slightly. His voice was softer this time when he asked,

"Why do you care so much about people you just met?"

I don't know why that question surprised me. After all it was a perfectly reasonable thing to ask. Why did I care? I had only just met these people today, yet I cared about their well-being. I tried to answer to the best of my ability.

"I think of people in a different way than most. I consider everyone I meet a friend until they prove to be otherwise. I like to give people a chance before I pass judgment. I've only been with you guys a day, but I can already tell that you're great people, and I am honored that I've been accepted so quickly."

I looked down and continued,

"But I guess that's what got me into this mess in the first place. I gave the wrong person my trust, and now I'm paying the price for it."

Zuko walked over to me and placed a hand on my shoulder, and we walked back to the house together in a peaceful silence.


	11. Chapter 11

When we reached the house Zuko retreated to his room. I was about to do the same when I ran into Suki. She sounded happy to see me.

"Maggie! I was just coming to look for you. Katara and I were wondering if you'd help us with dinner."

I was pleased that they wanted to include me in something, but I wasn't a very good cook. I was really good at baking, but cooking always ended badly for some reason. I knew I had to accept though; after all I still had to gain their trust; especially when it came to Katara. I tried to sound excited.

"Of course I'll help you guys, but I think I should warn you. I'm not exactly the best at cooking."

"That's ok, Katara does most of it. We just need help with prep work. You know, peeling, chopping, and washing."

I smiled and said,

"Ok that sounds good, just lead the way."

Suki lead me to the beach house's large kitchen. I figured it would be more primitive because of the world I was in. They didn't even seem to have electricity, just candles and oil lamps. I guess since this house was built for royalty they could afford better equipment. The stove was large, and used coal for heat. There was a sink that had running water, and there was a lot of counter space to work with. Katara was standing by the stove using her waterbending to stir something in a large pot. She seemed to be focused on her task and didn't notice us come in.

Suki lead me to a table in the center of the kitchen, and put a bucket in front of me. Then she brought over large sacks of potatoes, carrots, and cabbage.

"I just need you to peel the potatoes and carrots. I'll take care of the cabbages until you're done. After that I'll help you chop."

I tried to work fast, and after about twenty minutes of peeling I thought my hands would fall off. Suki looked satisfied with my work and replaced my peeler with a large chopping knife. I worked on carrots while she sliced the potatoes. I was only on my third carrot when I felt a sharp pain on my left hand.

I pulled it back quickly and sucked in a sharp breath. I looked down and saw blood on my hand and rushed over to the sink. Suki sounded worried and asked,

"Are you ok? What happened?"

"It's nothing, I just cut myself but it's not that bad."

Katara stopped what she was doing and quickly rushed over. She took my hand and examined the cut. Without another word she turned on the water and used waterbending to make liquid gloves. They started to glow and she took my injured hand in between both of hers. The pain started to recede, and when I looked at my hand again the cut was almost fully healed. Katara spoke in that motherly tone again.

"You need to be more careful, that cut was pretty deep. I couldn't even heal it all the way!"

"I'm sorry; I was trying to be quick. I just need more practice, I'm really sorry!"

She seemed to think that over for a second, and then relaxed a bit. Her tone was softer this time as she said,

"It's ok don't worry about it. I'm just glad you didn't hurt yourself too badly. Suki and I can take it from here anyway. We'll make sure to call you when it's ready."

Everyone gathered on the outside steps of the house to eat. It was warm out and there was almost no wind. Everything was going great until Katara came in with a painting. She held it up for everyone to see and exclaimed,

"I was looking for cooking pots in the attic when I found this! Look at baby Zuko! Wasn't he so cute?"

I tried not to laugh and quickly glanced at Zuko who looked totally un-amused. Everyone started fawning over the adorable baby in the picture when Zuko cut in.

"That's not me. It's a picture of my father."

The giggling ceased and everyone laid their eyes on the baby. He looked so cute, and happy. I couldn't figure out how something so loveable turned into such a monster. Suki seemed to have read my mind as she said in disbelief,

"He looks so sweet and innocent!"

Zuko sounded irritated as he added,

"Well that sweet little kid grew up to be a monster. Not to mention the worst father in the history of fathers."

"But he's still a human being."

Aang cut in then, and his voice was sad. We all turned to look at him and Zuko asked,

"You're going to defend him?"

"No, I agree with you. Firelord Ozai is a horrible person, and the word would be better off without him. But there's got to be another way!"

"Like what? Oh maybe you can just show him his baby pictures, and all those happy memories will make him good again."

Aang perked up again and asked,

"Do you think that would work?"

"No!"

Aang started to pace back and forth, and explained that killing Ozai would go against everything he believed in. I remember him mentioning it to me earlier, and I felt fresh empathy for the kid. It wasn't fair that he had to go through this. I thought about cutting in when Sokka beat me to it.

"Aang you're the Avatar, I'm sure the universe will understand."

The poor kid exploded and yelled,

"This isn't a joke Sokka! None of you understands the position I'm in!"

Katara tried to use that motherly ton of hers on him but it didn't seem to be working at the moment. Baldy was too enraged to listen anymore.

"When you find a way for me to defeat the fire lord without killing him I'd love to hear it!"

And with that Aang walked off, back into the house.

I suddenly lost my appetite and turned to Katara.

"I think I'm going to bed early. Do you want me to help you clean up first?"

"No it's fine, its Sokka and Toph's turn anyway."

They both groaned in unison and I let out a small giggle. We all handed Sokka our dishes and he retreated to the kitchen with a grumbling Toph. I was about to go to my room when Zuko put a hand on my arm. He asked me in a concerned voice,

"Are you sure you're ok?"

_I barely know this guy, how does he always know when something's bothering me?_

"I'm fine, really. Nothing's wrong."

He didn't seem to believe me and added,

"If you want to talk about it you know where to find me." With that we went to our separate rooms. I could still feel the heat from his hand on my arm, and part of me wished I had confided in him. Now that I was alone I let the tears escape, and I cried myself to sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

I was woken up by a loud series of knock on my door. I bolted upright and felt afraid for a moment. I had almost forgotten where I was, and took a deep breath to relax myself. The knocking continued and I quickly put on my shoes and opened the door. Zuko was standing there with a worried expression. My eyes widened in surprise when he said,

"Aang's gone missing."

"What do you mean he's missing? Where would he go?"

"I don't know but we need to find him."

I nodded and quickly followed him to the courtyard where the others were. They all looked worried, and Sokka broke the silence with,

"We should split up and make sure he isn't in the house."

We searched and searched but Baldy was nowhere to be found. We all decided to check the beach, and I felt my heart sink as I spotted the footprints heading out to sea.

_What if he drowned? I know he's powerful but he's still just a kid! What if something horrible happened to him?_

"Maybe he was captured?" Katara added.

Sokka didn't sound convinced.

"No, there's no sign of a struggle."

"Maybe he ran away again." Even Toph sounded worried, but Sokka had a rebuttal for that as well.

"He left behind his glider and Appa. Come on guys, Aang suddenly disappears before a big battle. He's definitely on a spirit world journey!"

_It's probably a bad time to ask what a spirit world journey is…_

Zuko cut in with,

"If that were the case, wouldn't his body still be here?"

Sokka kind of deflated and seemed to have run out of theories. I could feel myself start to panic, and my hands started shaking again. Katara suddenly came to stand in front of me. She sounded angry.

"Isn't it a bit strange that the day after you show up, Aang goes missing? Did you do something to him?"

I was taken aback. I thought she was starting to like me! I understood her reaction though. She must be really worried, so I tried not to take it personally.

"Katara I know you don't trust me yet, but I swear I would never do anything to hurt Aang, or any of you for that matter."

"How can I believe you? It's just too suspi…"

"She's telling the truth Sweetness." Toph chimed in then and Katara looked at her. I remembered that Toph could tell when someone lies, and I was thankful for that now. Katara looked like she wanted to argue, but she just sighed and turned back to me.

"I'm sorry for blaming you. I'm just really worried." I understood so I tried to reassure her.

"It's ok Katara I get it. I'm worried about him too."

She gave me a hopeful smile and Sokka spoke up.

"We should split into groups and make sure he's not on the island."

Toph rushed over to Zuko and hugged his arm.

"I'm going with Zuko! What? Everyone else went on a life changing field trip with Zuko!"

I muffled a laugh at Zuko's adorable blushy face. In the end we split up evenly with Katara, Suki, and Sokka on one team and Zuko, Toph, and I on the other.

Toph spent the first twenty-five minutes telling us about her lonely childhood, and I was amazed at Zuko's patience with it. I was just about to lose my cool when Zuko cut in and said,

"Look I know you had a rough childhood, but we should really focus on finding Aang."

We all searched for about two hours, but still ended up with nothing. It was almost as if Aang had disappeared into thin air. Everyone met up at the beach house, and Toph spoke.

"Has anyone noticed that Momo has gone missing too?" I was confused so I asked,

"Who's Momo?"

"He's Aang's flying lemur."

"Oh." I had learned to accept the weirdness of this world and dropped the discussion. Sokka sounded mortified as he said,

"Oh no it was only a matter of time! Appa ate Momo!"

He then proceeded to climb into the bison's mouth in search of the alleged lemur. Katara tried to reason with him.

"Sokka Appa didn't eat Momo. He's probably with Aang."

"That's just what Appa wants you to think!"

Zuko sounded irritated as he shouted,

"Get out of the Bison's mouth Sokka!"

I couldn't control it anymore and started to laugh. It was just too funny to see Sokka covered in that yucky slime. I quickly silenced myself as I heard Katara ask,

"What should we do Zuko?"

He seemed genuinely confused and asked,

"Why are you all looking at me?"

"Well, you're kind the expert on tracking Aang."

_I wonder what she means by that…_

Zuko thought about that for a minute and then said,

"We need to go to the earth kingdom. I know someone there who can find Aang."


	13. Chapter 13

"Ok there is absolutely no way this fluff-ball can fly."

Sure I was getting used to the crazy things about this world, but there was no way this two ton bucket of fur could fly. We were all settled in Appa's giant saddle, with Zuko at the reins. Katara let out a laugh and said,

"That's pretty much what Sokka said the first time we met Aang. Believe me, Appa can fly."

Zuko glanced back at us and asked if we were all set to go. He turned around again and said,

"Yip yip."

Appa let out a groan and batted the ground with his beaver tail. Suddenly he was floating in the air, and I could feel the last of my rationality float away in the breeze.

_Now I've seen everything…_

We had been flying for a while and the boredom was starting to get to me. I carefully climbed up and over the saddle and sat next to Zuko. He seemed mildly surprised but didn't say anything. I playfully nudged his arm with mine and told him,

"You owe me a story."

He turned to me then, looking confused. I explained to him,

"I told you something personal, so now it's your turn. We have to get to know each other before we can learn to trust each other."

"You might not like what I have to say."

"You realize that makes me want to know even more right? Come on Zuko it's only fair."

I gave him a reassuring grin, but he looked conflicted. He looked almost…ashamed. I tried to convince him to talk to me.

"Zuko it doesn't matter what you did in the past. The guy you are now is pretty great, and that's all that matters to me. Please?"

He sighed and seemed to be thinking about where to begin. I braced myself for the worst when I heard his next words.

"You're probably wondering how I got my scar."

By the time Zuko had finished his horror story I didn't know whether or not I wanted to sob or fly into a rage. I couldn't understand how someone could do that to their own child! It made me sick to my stomach thinking about it. He had sent his son away for _three years_ to search for someone who might not have even existed! When I turned to look at him he was staring straight ahead. I looked at the burned skin on his eye and felt a new hatred for this Fire Lord. I tentatively reached out a hand and placed it on his cheek just below the burn. He flinched but didn't stop me as I traced the outline of it. It felt rough compared to the smooth perfect skin on his cheek.

"I like it."

He turned towards me and I let my hand drop to my side. He sounded confused.

"What?"

"Everything happens for a reason Zuko. I guarantee you wouldn't be who you are today if you never got that scar. It may sound selfish of me, but I'm grateful for it. Without it we might have never met."

His eyes widened as I leaned forward. I lightly kissed his left cheek, and without another word I climbed back into Appa's saddle. Zuko didn't say anything but I saw his hand reach for his eye. He held it there for a moment, then took the reins again. After thirty more minutes of flying in silence we arrived in the Earth kingdom.

We all hopped off Appa and stood in front of what looked to be a bar. There were huge muscly guys everywhere, and the air reeked of booze and cheap food. Katara took the words right out of my mouth when she asked,

"The reason you brought us to a seedy earth kingdom tavern is what now?"

With one word he replied,

"June."

I heard a crash and turned to look in the direction it came from. There was a pale, dark haired woman fighting several guys, while holding a drink in her hands. She moved with amazing gracefulness, and took down her attackers with ease. Sokka jumped in and said,

"Oh yeah! That weird bounty hunter with that giant mole creature!"

"The shearshew. It's the only animal that can track Aang anywhere in the world. It's the one shot we have at finding him."

"Didn't she help you attack us?"

"Yup. Back in the good old days."

I chuckled at that, and we all walked over to June, who was sitting comfortably in the middle of the rubble she made. She looked at Zuko and scowled a bit. Her voice oozed with sarcasm and indifference.

"Oh look its prince pouty. Where's your creepy grandpa?"

"He's my uncle, and he's not here."

I remember Zuko mentioning that his uncle stayed with him during his banishment. His voice was sad, so I figured they must have had a falling out or something. I felt my heart skip a beat when June added,

"I see you worked things out with your girlfriend."

Zuko and Katara both spoke at the same time.

"She's not my girlfriend!"

"I'm not his girlfriend!"

I didn't know why I was relieved to hear them say that. It's not like I was jealous or anything… June put up her hands in a defensive pose, yet her face remained the same.

"Ok ok sheesh, I was only teasing. So what do you want?"

She downed the rest of her drink, and placed the cup on the table. Zuko said in a serious tone,

"We need your help finding the Avatar."

"That doesn't sound too fun."

"Does the end of the world sound like more fun?"

For a split second she looked surprised, and I swear I saw a glint of fear in her eyes. She agreed to help and lead us out the back where she left her Shearshew. She tossed it a piece of meat, and gave it a pat on the head. June turned back to face us and asked for something with Aang's scent on it. Katara offered her Aang's staff and Nyla (The mole thing) took a big whiff of it.

Nyla started to walk around, and sniffed the air and ground around her. After a few moments she gave up and covered her nose with her paws in shame. June patted her on the head again and I spoke up.

"What does that mean? She can't find him?"

"It means your friend is gone. As in, he doesn't exist. And I don't mean he's dead, because if he was Nyla would be able to find him."

Sokka yelled out, "I told you it was a spirit world thing!"

We ignored him, and June was about to leave when Zuko stopped her.

"There's only one other person who could help us take down the fire lord. I'll be back in a second with a smell sample."

Zuko returned with an old sandal, and the worst stench wafted from it. We all pinched our noses and Sokka inquired,

"You kept your uncle's sweaty sandal?"

Toph defended him by saying it was a sweet gesture, and Zuko offered the shoe to Nyla who took a whiff. In ten minutes we were all back on Appa, and following June to who-knows-where.


	14. Chapter 14

The sun had just begun to set when Zuko climbed into Appa's saddle with the rest of us. The fluffy creature understood his job was to follow June, so Zuko didn't have to direct him. I looked over at him, and saw a troubled look in his face. I looked to my right and noticed Katara sitting next to me. I scooted over to her and inquired,

"Why is Zuko so nervous to see his uncle? From what he told me about him, they seemed pretty close."

I whispered so Zuko couldn't hear me. Katara looked a little sad then. She spoke in a hushed voice.

"Before Zuko was on our side his sister Azula forced him to choose between her and their father, or his uncle. Long story short, Zuko chose the wrong side. He's probably afraid his uncle won't accept him back."

"Which is totally crazy cuz I met the guy and Zuko was pretty much all he talked about."

Toph interjected then, thankfully in a quiet voice. I had to agree with her. Although I had never met him, Zuko spoke of him with such love in his voice. There was no way his uncle would give up on him.

_I just wish he could see that…_

After about an hour the sky had darkened, and we felt Appa making his descent. We were in the middle of the ruins of what seemed to be a gigantic wall. Everyone hopped off Appa and walked over to June. She explained to us that this was as far as she would take us, and that Zuko's uncle was close by. Zuko thanked her and she swiftly rode away. Since it was late we all decided to make camp and search for Iroh in the morning. I watched in amazement as Toph made a makeshift tent out of earth and stepped inside. Katara and I joined her, and when we were all sitting down I asked them,

"What's Zuko's sister like?"

They both had funny expressions, and seemed to be at a loss for words. Toph spoke up and said,

"In one word? Crazy. Violent. Insane. Evil." I got the feeling she wasn't even close to done describing this girl but luckily Katara intervened.

"Azula is pretty much a power hungry sociopath that would kill her own family in their sleep if it would benefit her."

I could feel my jaw drop and my eyes widen. I couldn't imagine someone like that. She sounded absolutely terrifying. I could hear the shaking of my own voice, but I tried to cover it up with humor.

"I guess she gets it from their father's side of the family."

Thankfully I got a laugh out of both of them. Suddenly Toph stiffened and told us to be quiet. We complied and she said,

"Somebody's here."

She stood up quickly and brought down the earth tent. Our camp was suddenly surrounded by a ring of fire. Everyone was looking confused and ready to attack when we all heard a voice.

"Well look who's here!"

I looked up and saw four old looking men. The one who had spoken looked to be about a hundred years old, and he began to laugh. I was surprised to see everyone relax and actually start to smile. They obviously knew these people and we weren't in any danger. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding, and the four men came down to greet us. Obviously Toph didn't know who they were because she asked,

"Why are we surrounded by old people?"

Katara answered in a happy voice,

"These aren't just any old people. These are great masters and friends of ours! Pakku." She walked over to one of the men and bowed to him. He smiled slightly and bowed back. He answered her with,

"It is respectful to bow to an old master, but how about a hug for your new grandfather?"

Sokka and Katara looked surprised, but very happy. She ran up and pulled him into a bear hug and exclaimed,

"That's so exciting! You and GranGran must be so happy to have found each other again!"

"I made her a new betrothal necklace and everything."

Sokka ran up and practically knocked Katara over in the process. He hugged Pakku and said in a happy voice,

"Welcome to the family GrampGramp!"

"You can just call me Pakku."

"How about…GranPakku!"

"No."

Sokka deflated a little, but let go. I watched as Katara gestured to the next man and introduced him as Jeong-Jeong, Aang's first firebending teacher. Zuko walked up to him and bowed in respect. I noticed Sokka walk over to the next man and bow. He spoke in a respective tone.

"Master Piandao."

"Hello Sokka."

Suki spoke up and I turned to look at her.

"How do you all know each other?"

The super old looking one answered with,

"All old people know each other! Don't you know that?"

Master Piandao explained that they were all a part of the same secret society called the Order of the White Lotus. The group transcends the division of the four nations and focuses on the beauty of life, and philosophy. He told us that Iroh was their leader and a Grand Lotus. He was the one who had called them all there to help with the war. Toph interrupted and told them we were looking for Iroh, and the men offered to lead us to him. We were about to leave when Bumi(the super old crazy one) said,

"Wait someone is missing from your group! Someone very important…Where's Momo?"

I looked at him in confusion and answered him with,

"He's with Aang…who's also missing. That's why we came to look for Iroh."

The men seemed to notice me for the first time, and Pakku asked Katara,

"Who's your new friend?"

"This is Maggie. She just joined our group recently. It's kind of a long story…"

From what I've seen I felt that the proper thing to do was bow. I walked up to face the four men and I bowed deeply before them. I tried my best to stop the shaking in my voice and hands.

"It's an honor to meet you all."

When I looked up again Bumi was right in from of my face. Before I could make a move to step back he took my face in his hands and peered into my eyes. I refused to blink as he examined me. When he was satisfied he stepped back and released my face. He said,

"She has a good soul. She'll make a nice addition to your little group."

He laughed again and I couldn't help but smile. This man was nuts, but he seemed like a good person. Like a crazy grandpa you can't help but love. After that little scene we followed the men over the broken wall and into their camp. On the way there Bumi told us all about his escape from the fire nation. I didn't really know what they were talking about though; it was probably a 'you had to be there to understand' story. When we finally arrived Bumi exclaimed,

"Welcome to old people camp!"

I could see Zuko looking around and he asked the men,

"Where is he?"

They pointed to a large tent in the center of camp and Zuko walked over to it. I felt my heart sink as he stopped before going inside. He sank to the ground and stared at the entrance to the tent. I walked over, and sat on the ground in front of him. Zuko looked up and I saw the fear and shame in his eyes. I spoke in a gentle tone and asked,

"Aren't you going inside?"

"How can I face him after what I've done? I'm sure he hates me now." He stared at the ground, and his hands became fists in his lap. I gently put my hand under his chin and forced him to look me in the eyes. I replied,

"Zuko he's your family. I'm positive that no matter what you've done, he could _never_ hate you."

"How can you be so sure?"

I let go of him and thought for a moment before answering.

"Everybody makes mistakes Zuko, but you've made up for it by joining the good side. He won't hate you, he'll be proud. I promise."

I smiled at him, and saw some of the fear drain away from his gaze. He looked toward the tent again, but didn't move. I put a hand over his and asked,

"I can go with you if that makes it easier?"

He looked at me in with surprise, but I could see relief in his gaze. He nodded slightly and I followed him into the tent. He was about to speak when I heard a loud snore. His uncle was asleep on the floor across the room. I whispered to Zuko,

"You can just wait until he wakes up."

He looked at me quickly, and I saw another glint of fear. I put a hand on his shoulder and told him,

"Don't worry I'll wait with you ok?"

He sighed and we both sat on the ground facing Iroh. I could feel Zuko shaking next to me and I placed my cool hands over his warm ones. I gave him a gentle squeeze, and felt him relax a bit. Hi voice was barely audible, but I swear I could hear him say,

"Thank you."


	15. Chapter 15

I sat with Zuko in silence until dawn, when we noticed Iroh stir. I gave Zuko a gentle squeeze on his shoulder and whispered good luck. I heard him draw in a deep breath, and I stepped out of the tent into the new morning sun. Everyone was sitting around a fire, and Katara was cooking something in a large pot. I looked down at my hand, remembering the last time I tried to help them cook. I could see the faint line of a scar and smiled slightly. I walked over to the group and plopped down in front of the flames. Toph scooted over next to me and asked,

"So how did it go? What happened?"

"Nothing, he was asleep. I just waited with Zuko until he woke up."

Toph raised her eyebrows, and seemed to come to a realization. She suddenly had a devious looking grin on her face and said nonchalantly,

"So, when did you start liking Zuko that way?"

I looked at her in surprise. I tried not to sound too defensive.

"What do you mean? Like him what way?"

"You seem to forget that I can feel your reactions, and every time I say Zuko's name your heart quickens. You like him."

I didn't know how to answer her. Did I really like him like that? I mean I hadn't really thought about it before. Sure he was sexy as all hell, but that's not what I really loved about him.

_Love? Who said anything about love? Come on Mags pull yourself together…_

I could feel myself blushing, and Katara rescued me by announcing that breakfast was ready. I got up and went to help her hand out bowls, when I saw Zuko and his uncle come out of the tent. I eyed them carefully and realized they had worked things out. I smiled brightly and brought two bowls over to them. They took the food and I moved to face Iroh. I bowed deeply and said,

"It's really an honor to meet you sir. Zuko told me a lot about you."

He bowed back to me and asked Zuko,

"So nephew, who is this cute new addition?

I blushed slightly and Zuko answered,

"This is Maggie. We haven't known her long, but she's proved to be a great friend to me."

I felt my heart lift when he said that. I was so happy he had accepted me so quickly. I was about to speak when Iroh looked at me funny. He moved closer and looked deeply into my eyes. He seemed surprised and said,

"You have been touched by the spirit world."

"Excuse me?"

"You are not from here, are you?"

I shook my head no, and he looked at me with awe. He spoke in a serious tone.

"This realm and the spirit world are not the only ones in the universe. There are countless numbers of universes and realities. The spirits must have decided you belonged in this one, and brought you here."

"The field of bluebells…"

Iroh nodded and said,

"The bluebell flower represents magic. The field you speak of must have been a door to our world."

Zuko and I looked at each other with amazement on our faces. I felt a small surge of joy when I realized what he'd said.

_I belong here_

"You belong here." Zuko said suddenly, and I looked at him in surprise. How did he always know what I was thinking? I smiled big and we all walked over to the group, who had already begun to eat. I sat next to Katara, and Zuko sat to my left. Katara handed me a bowl of food and I thanked her before blowing on the steaming bowl of porridge. After a few minutes we got down to business and Zuko spoke to his uncle.

"Uncle, you're the only person other than the Avatar who could possibly defeat the fatherlord."

I nearly choked on my food. Toph caught it too and asked,

"You mean the firelord?"

"That's what I said." Zuko snapped back.

Iroh spoke in a solemn tone, "No Zuko, it won't turn out well. History will only see it as a brother killing a brother for power. No, it must be the Avatar who defeats Ozai."

Zuko seemed to accept this and asked, "Then would you take your rightful place on the throne?"

"No, someone new must take the throne. An idealist with a pure heart, and unquestionable honor. It has to be you prince Zuko."

"Unquestionable honor? But I've made so many mistakes…"

"Yes you have. You've struggled and suffered, but you have always followed your own path. You have restored your own honor, and only you can restore the honor of the fire nation."

"I'll try uncle."

"Zuko you must return to the fire nation so that when the firelord falls you can assume the throne, and restore peace and order." His tone turned grave as he added, "But Azula will be there waiting for you. You will need help to stop her."

Zuko pondered for a moment, then turned to Katara and asked her to help him defeat his sister. I felt a pang in my chest. I spoke up and said,

"I'm coming with you."

They both looked surprised and Zuko spoke is a harsh tone.

"No. Azula is too dangerous, and I'm not going to let you get hurt."

I furrowed my brow and spoke with conviction.

"I think you're forgetting something very important. Think about it this way. Azula doesn't know I exist, and I can bend three elements. She won't suspect an attack from another airbender. I can help!"

"No Mags, it's not safe-"

"She's right Zuko." Katara came to my defense and Zuko gave her a sharp look. She kept her voice leveled and calm.

"Zuko she's part of the group now. Maggie knows what kind of danger she'll be in, and wants to come anyway. We should let her help."

Zuko seemed to be struggling with the decision, but ultimately accepted defeat and I was allowed to come. The plan was set. The White Lotus group would start freeing the Earth Kingdom from the fire nation, and then Toph, Sokka, and Suki would take care of the fire nation airships. Zuko, Katara, and I would go to the palace to defeat Azula and put Zuko on the throne where he belongs.

After a couple hours we climbed up onto Appa, and headed towards the fire nation. None of us spoke, maybe we were too nervous, when I felt a sudden tingling in my stomach. I looked up suddenly, only to see the sky turn slightly orange. As the colors deepened, the tingling spread from my stomach, to my chest, then to my hands and feet.

_This must be what happens to firebenders when the comet arrives…_

Once again, as if reading my thoughts, Zuko said,

"Sozin's comet is here."


	16. Chapter 16

As we flew through the red stained sky, I looked down to see what I could only assume was the infamous fire nation. The city seemed to be settled in the center of a large crater, and I felt my stomach do a flip as we made our descent to the palace courtyard. There was a group of men surrounding a woman, who I assumed was Princess Azula. They were in the middle of her coronation ceremony when Appa touched down. All three of us swiftly jumped off Appa, and Zuko confronted his sister.

"Sorry but you're not going to become firelord today. I am."

Azula scoffed at him and said, "You're hilarious."

"And you're going down." Katara stepped forward then, and stood next to Zuko. I followed the suit and stood at his other side. Azula eyed me with confusion and said,

"I see you've got a new addition. If you think that's going to stop me you're dumber than I imagined."

I felt rage well up inside me and tried to step forward, but Zuko put a hand out to stop me. I remember what everyone told me about Azula. She was dangerous, and I didn't stand a chance. I stepped back again. Azula stood up straight and I finally got a good look at her. This girl looked _disturbed_. Her hair was a wreck, she had dark circles under her eyes, and her eyes were almost devoid of humanity. She looked more like a monster than a human being. I felt a shiver up and down my spine when she spoke again.

"Well Zuko if you want to be firelord so badly let's settle this. Just you and me brother, in the showdown that was always meant to be. I challenge you to an Agni Kai!"

"You're on." I looked at Zuko in confusion. I assumed an Agni Kai was some sort of firebender battle, but why would he do this alone? Katara was probably thinking the same thing because she told him,

"What are you doing? She's just playing you because she knows she can't take down all three of us!" I nodded in agreement but Zuko seemed to have made up his mind. He added in a hushed tone,

"I know, but I can take her this time. There's something off about her. She's slipping, and this way no one else has to get hurt."

I grabbed his arm and tried to reason with him. "Zuko please don't do this, we can help! It will be quicker if we all work together to beat her. I know you don't want her to hurt us, but I don't want Azula to hurt you either!"

His gaze remained steady, and he answered in a stern voice, "This is something I have to do alone. This is my fight Maggie, and I won't lose."

I could feel tears welling in my eyes, but I had to have faith in Zuko. He would win, and everything would be fine. I just had to keep believing that. Zuko and Azula walked to opposite ends of the large courtyard and faced each other. Azula undid her cloak and dropped it to the ground. Her voice was like ice as she said,

"I'm sorry it had to end this way brother."

Zuko never faltered. He just got into a fighting stance and replied simply with, "No you're not."

Katara and I stood on the sidelines and watched as the battle between siblings began. I watched in horror as Azula sent out a gigantic blast of blue fire. Zuko blocked with an orange and yellow blast, and counter attacked. It was beautiful and terrifying at the same time. My heart lurched in fear every time a blue burst went towards Zuko. Katara and I watched helplessly as the battle raged on. I could feel the heat from where we were standing, and I could feel my body shaking. I felt a surge of joy as Zuko's attack sent Azula tumbling to the ground. She looked completely enraged, but Zuko still chose to taunt her.

"What no lightning today? Afraid I'll redirect it?"

"You want lightning? I'll show you lightning!" Azula moved her arms back and forth in a fluid motion and the air crackled around her. Streams of lightning flurried around her as she moved. She stopped and looked at Zuko, but I noticed her gaze point towards Katara and I. We watched in shock as Azula moved her hand forward and shot her lightning at us. I could hear Zuko shout, "No!" And I felt my heart stop as he stepped in front of the attack.

I could feel my feet pounding on the ground before I could even fully register what had happened. I ran towards Zuko and knew at once what I would have to do. Electricity worked like a current, and needed a way out of his body.

_Why do you care so much about people you just met?_

I could see Zuko catch the lightning and bring it to his chest. I ran as fast as I could towards him. I had to reach him before the lighting stopped his heart. I could feel my own heart pounding in my chest, and I could feel tears well up in my eyes at the thought of losing him.

_Why do you care so much about him?_

I shot my hand out and placed it on his left shoulder. It felt like I had stuck my hand in a light socket. It hurt like hell but I kept my palm on Zuko's arm. I dragged the lightning out of his body and into mine. I remembered what he taught me, and brought my left arm down into my stomach. Only when I was certain that I was holding all the lightning did I shoot my left arm outwards into the sky. I felt no pain then, but I could hear myself scream. When the last of the electricity left my body, I sunk to the ground.

_Please be ok…he has to be alright because…_

I felt my body hit the ground, and the darkness started to take me. I decided it didn't matter if I never woke up. As long as Zuko won everything would be alright because…

_I love him_


	17. Chapter 17

**Zuko's POV**

I remember feeling a hand on my shoulder, then hearing a scream that made my blood turn to ice. I could feel the lightning leaving my body, and flowing into hers. I wanted to stop her, but I couldn't make my body move. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flurry of red clothing and auburn hair fall to the ground. My heart leaped into my throat and I quickly jumped to her side. I looked behind me and shouted,

"Katara!" She started running towards us but my sister stopped her with a fiery blast. I cursed out loud and scooped Maggie up into my arms. She was lighter than I thought she would be. She was so fragile; I knew I shouldn't have let her come with us! I bolted for the far edge of the courtyard and hid behind a pillar. I could hear Azula and Katara fighting and I prayed she would be able to help Maggie in time.

I placed her gently on the ground and frantically searched for a pulse. I thanked the spirits when I felt her faint heartbeat. I made sure she was breathing and felt another surge of relief. I carefully lifted her up again and held her in my arms. She was so small compared to me. I tried to talk to her; to get her to open her eyes.

"Mags? Come on, please wake up. Everything's fine now ok?"

She didn't even stir. Suddenly I felt something in the hand that held her head up. I placed her head carefully on my thigh and looked at what I held in my hand. It was her red ribbon. The stupid thing's only job was to keep her hair up and it couldn't even do that. Why did she keep the damn thing? As much as the thing annoyed me, I held it in my clenched fist and felt tears well in my eyes.

"Please…Please wake up." I held her close and willed Katara to hurry. What if she had brain damage? What if she never woke up again? I would never hear her voice again, see her smile, or hear her laugh at Sokka's stupid jokes. I cursed as I felt the tears escape my eyes and roll down my cheeks.

_Please don't leave me_

I held her up, with her head close to my heart. She had to be ok. I didn't even want to imagine a world without those beautiful jade eyes. She always knew just what to say to make me feel better, and she accepted me even after knowing about the terrible things I've done. She was always so kind and thoughtful. She just had to be alright; She had to wake up because…

"I love you."

333333333333333333333333333333333333333333

**Maggie's POV**

The darkness was so peaceful and warm; I couldn't even remember why I was in it. It felt like I was floating through space, and I felt a nice calmness surround me. I figured this must be what death is like; Just a never ending feeling of peace and serenity. I was about to slip away for good when I felt something cool on my temples. The feeling grew and suddenly the calm black void was gone, and my eyes shot open, only to see Katara peering down at me with joy on her face. She sounded excited as she exclaimed,

"She's ok!"

It all came back to me in one big rush. Azula, the lightning, and Zuko…

_Oh my god Zuko!_

I shot up quickly and ignored the throbbing in my skull. I frantically looked around for Zuko and saw him sitting to the left of me. I quickly shot out my hands and turned his face left and right, and looked at him all over to make sure he wasn't hurt.

"Zuko oh god I got to you in time right? Is anything broken? I swear if that bitch tries anything like that again I'm going to…mmph!"

I was silenced by a pair of lips over mine, and all my previous thoughts flew out the window. Zuko was kissing me, and it was the single most wonderful feeling in the world. He cupped my face in his hands and deepened the kiss to the point where I thought I would melt right then and there. He pulled away and I could see the tears on his cheeks. His voice cracked when he said,

"I thought I was going to lose you. Why did you do that, you could have died!"

"Relax Zuko I'm fine. I know what could have happened."

"Why would you do something so reckless? If Katara wasn't here you could have seriously been hurt."

Did he really not know how I felt by now? I literally just took a bolt of lightning for him. Guys can be so dense sometimes. I supposed I would have to tell him straight out.

"Because I love you dummy."

Zuko let out a choked laugh and he pulled me into a hug. He held me tightly, as though if he let go I might float away. His voice was barely a whisper but I could just make out the words,

"I love you too."

Katara cleared her throat behind us and we broke apart quickly. She got off the ground, folded her arms in front of her chest and sighed. She sounded almost disappointed.

"Great, now I owe Toph twenty silver pieces." Zuko stood up too, and held out his hand to help me up. I took it, and turned towards Katara to ask,

"What do you mean?"

Katara blushed a bit, and stopped looking me in the eyes. She sounded guilty when she told me,

"Well, you see Toph and I had a little bet going, on whether you and Zuko would get together. I said no way, and she said you'd be together before the war even ended. I guess she won."

I looked over at Zuko who was blushing like crazy. I was feeling pretty good until I remembered the reason we were here in the first place. As if on cue I heard a loud shrieking coming from the other side of the yard. I could see Azula chained and flailing on the ground. Flames shooting from her mouth as tears rolled down her cheeks. My eyes widened and I grabbed Zuko's arm instinctively. I knew she was insane, but this was just sad. She was chained up like an animal, and it really wasn't her fault. She was corrupted at an early age, and raised to hate. Nobody said a word. Zuko just put his arm around me and we all walked out of the palace together.


End file.
